


Casual Observers: The One From Texas

by Browneyesparker



Series: Casual Observers [14]
Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Casual Observers, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Romance, girl meets world - Freeform, joshaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-28 23:45:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5109863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyesparker/pseuds/Browneyesparker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zay Babineaux was wrong. In all the time he had known Maya Hart, he had never seen her look at Lucas Friar the way she was looking at Josh Matthews. During his whole time in New York, he had never seen Lucas look at Maya in the way that Josh was looking at her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Casual Observers: The One From Texas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hoffkk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoffkk/gifts).



> A scene in this story was brought to you by hoffkk.

**.**

**Chapter 14**

_The One From Texas_

“ _What on earth_ is going on between your uncle and best friend!?” Zay Babineauxasked as he chewed on Cocoa Pebbles.

Riley Matthews’s eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish’s did. “I don’t know. . . what did you s _ee_ exactly?”

“I have no idea,” Zay answered. “But it sure seems like the two of them like each other.”

“They’ve known each other for years,” Riley said dismissively. “ _Of course_ they like each other!”

“No, I mean they _really_ like each other,” Zay told her, raising his eyebrows suggestively as he continued to shovel cereal into his mouth. “If you know what I mean.”

Riley sighed. “I know what you mean, Zay! So? They have something going on between them. They don’t talk about it and I don’t think they know that _we_ know about them.”

“You have a weird family,” Zay pointed out.

“You’re friends with us,” Riley reminded him. “What does that say about _you_?”

Zay peeked out into the living room and shook his head. “You know I really thought that Maya liked Lucas. I kind of thought they would end up together. I cannot believe how wrong I actually was.”

“Well, you’ve only been here for a little bit,” Riley said a little curtly. “You don’t know everything about us, Zay.”

**.**

Zay Babineauxwas wrong.

In all the time he had known Maya Hart, he had never seen her look at Lucas Friar the way she was looking at Josh Matthews. During his whole time in New York, he had never seen Lucas look at Maya in the way that Josh was looking at her.

It was the kind of look that Zay had only seen in Disney movies and romcoms. It was the kind of look that he had heard about in songs but had never seen in real life. Seeing it up close and personal was one of the most intriguing experiences that he had _ever_ had.

**.**

Zay didn’t know all the dynamics of Josh and Maya’s relationship. So, when he asked Maya to dance at Riley’s sweet sixteen, he did not expect the older boy to be standing on the sidelines with his arms folded across his chest and giving him a death glare.

“What’s wrong with your boyfriend?” Zay asked.

Maya huffed. “He is _not_ my _boyfriend_ , Zay!”

“He looks like he wants to drag me outside and beat me up.”

“Don’t worry, he _wouldn’t_ ,” Maya assured him. “Especially not tonight because it’s Riley’s birthday and he wouldn’t ruin her party.”

“But why is he looking at me like _that_?”

Maya looked over at Josh and smirked. “Because I usually dance with _him_ ,” she answered. “Don’t worry, this is good for him.”

“I don’t want to get in the middle of anything!” Zay protested.

“What makes you think you’re getting in the middle of _anything_?” Maya asked innocently.

Zay didn’t get a chance to answer because Josh was striding towards them, a determined look on his face.

Zay’s first instinct was to release Maya and then to shield his face with his arms. “Sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t know you guys were. . . that you usually danced with her!”

“Do you mind if I cut in?” Josh asked tersely.

Zay lowered his arms. “You mean, you’re _not_ going to punch me?”

Josh fixed him with another death glare. “Are you going to let me dance with her or not?”

“Sure!” Zay answered, going on even though his better instincts told him that he shouldn’t. “You know we were just dancing as friends, I don’t like her like that. . . if I had known it would have made you this upset, I would have never asked her if. . .”

But Josh had already whisked an amused looking Maya away. He thought about exiting the dance floor but he changed his mind when he discovered he could hear their conversation.

“Okay, you proved your point, Hart.”

“What point?” Maya asked with the same innocence from a few moments before.

Zay felt slightly abused, their dance had only been to make Josh _jealous_? Zay sprinted off the dance floor, he didn’t want to be in the middle of whatever was going on between Josh and Maya anymore, unknowingly or otherwise.

But whatever their issue had been, it looked like they had resolved it within a matter of minutes. As soon as Zay had turned around, Maya was looking at Josh with the look that belonged only to him and Josh had pulled her as close as he possibly could without having to take his eyes off of her. They swayed together to a song from the newest Carrie Underwood album.

Zay figured they were the kind of people who wouldn’t discriminate against any kind of music, especially because it was probably an excuse to touch each other’s hands and waists and shoulders.

He admired their cleverness.

**.**

“Just give me _one_ taste!” Josh said, trying to grab Maya’s wrist to lick ice cream from her sugar cone.

“Noooo,” Maya protested. “You have your _own_ ice cream!”

“But it isn’t the same kind of flavor that you got,” Josh reminded her. “Come on Maya, please could I just have one _little_ taste?”

“You _could. . ._ ” Maya answered around a mouthful of what Zay knew from the week before was Gobbler flavored ice cream. “But no.”

Zay watched them with interest, feeling a little bit like a stalker but it wasn’t like he had followed them there. He had simply caught sight of them at _the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck_ on his way home from Farkle’s apartment.

He’d walked past when Josh had asked to taste her ice cream the first time and had stopped to see what would happen next. He kind of got the feeling that Maya would eventually give in and let him sample her treat.

After a few more seconds, Maya proved him right because she had extended her hand to Josh with her million dollar smile. Zay expected that she would shove it in his face next because rumor had it she had dumped two smoothies all over Lucas.

But no, she let him take a generous taste _without_ shoving it in his mouth or rubbing it all over his face. A few seconds later, Josh let her taste _his_ ice cream with the same kind of respect that she had showed for him.

Zay realized that maybe Josh brought out the best in Maya.

He hadn’t know either of them for a long time but he figured that maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. Everybody needed somebody who brought out the best in them.

**.**

“Y’all are crazy,” Zay said as he ate the leftover lasagna he had found in the Matthews’ fridge. “They’re never going to go for it. Not even if Minkus here paid _them_ off.”

“They’re never going to go for what?” Riley asked. “You know the two of them always jump at an opportunity to _dance_!”

“Okay then, they’re not going to get together,” Zay amended. “You’re mom makes good lasagna.”

Riley sighed. “Well, don’t be so negative about it Zay.”

“Maya’s been eighteen for a while now,” Zay reminded Riley, Lucas, Farkle and Smackle. “Don’t you think they would have actually gotten together by now if it _was_ going to happen!?”

“It’s _going_ to happen!” Riley said with so much force that Zay almost fell off of the bench. “It might not happen today, it might not happen on prom night but it’s going to happen! If you can’t see that then you really don’t know my family, Zay.”

**.**

The setting was perfect for it and it still didn’t happen on prom night.

But Zay didn’t say _I told you so_ even though the temptation was there.

**.**

He was in Texas with his family for the holidays when he got the texts from Lucas.

_It FINALLY happened!_

_Told you so!!!!!!!!!_

_The second message is a direct quote from Riley. She just thought you should know._

Zay shook his head. He would never get the Matthews family _at all_.

He smiled in spite of himself.

**.**

Of course they got married.

Zay had begun to expect _those_ sorts of things from them. In fact, he figured that he would probably have been kind of disappointed if they _hadn’t_ gotten married.

 

**.**

 

**Author's Note:**

> I confess, writing in Zay’s voice was hard. He is a fantastic character though. Also, I cannot pronounce his last name for the life of me. It sounds French but I don’t even know, to be honest. Anyhoo, the song from the new Carrie Underwood album is “Like I’ll Never Love You Again”. I just discovered it and the words fit this story so well! I’m sorry if this story kind of fell short, this has been a busy week. My sisters decided we were going to have a Halloween party and decided to wait until the last minute to get ready for it even though it has been in the works since the end of August. 
> 
> I’ve been running around getting ready for that. That being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this and that you all have a very safe and Happy Halloween. I’ll be back next week with a new installment for you guys. We’re in the final countdown, I’m hoping to be done before December when I’ll start posting a Christmas story. . . several of them actually. But there will only be one multi-chapter. Afterwards, I’m planning on updating Maya every single week.
> 
> Until Next Time!


End file.
